Space to Grow: Insights from Satellite 2024

Record commercial satellite investment is spurring growth in space launch activity and the number of spacecraft orbiting the earth in both geostationary orbit (GEO) and non-geostationary orbit (NGSO). This recent trend has compelled the industry to look for ways to capitalize on the combined advantages in performance, reliability, and coverage of a multi-orbit communications network infrastructure.

“Commercial network providers are aiming to bring ubiquitous, cost-effective, high-bandwidth, and low-latency mobile internet connectivity to consumers, businesses, and governments, which providers hope will create a massive market opportunity with numerous use cases,” says Chris Rogers, a managing director. “While the ultimate winners of this emerging sector remain to be determined, it is likely to spawn growth in a range of related businesses, including launch vehicles and services, data processing and analytics, ground station infrastructure, payload technology, and satellite manufacturing.”

Shifting national security priorities, particularly in the U.S., are highlighting the need to rapidly modernize the government-owned satellite fleet and add capabilities. Large pools of government funding are earmarked to acquire commercially available technology and fund the development of new innovations.

As an example, governments and militaries are partnering with commercial providers of satellite communications and remote sensing networks to provide another layer of resilience to their mission-critical activities in satellite communications; positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT); missile tracking; and earth observation.

Along the same lines, government funding from agencies like the Space Development Agency (SDA) and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is increasing. The goal is to support innovative businesses active in the space sector and fund promising technologies intended for both government and commercial use, particularly in optical data transport, antennas, thermal management, in-space processing, navigation, and space-based power solutions.

As satellites proliferate and play an increasingly important roles in business and defense, there will be increased demand for construction and ongoing maintenance of ground station antenna systems. In fact, such assets will likely be a key capacity constraint for the next generation of constellations, making their expansion and upkeep a priority for years to come.

Recent years have seen an exponential increase in satellite launches, notes Chris Smith, a managing director. “Given the volume of satellites needed to support existing and planned lower earth orbit constellations, their three- to seven-year lifespans, and rapid technology innovation, it’s likely that the pace of deployment will be sustained at much higher levels than ever before. That will support long-lasting demand for a host of related products and services, including propulsion systems, advanced materials and machining, critical avionics hardware, and launch operation services.”

AI will play a critical role in coordinating space operations as the market expands. That role will encompass coordination and control of future platforms that will be smaller and autonomous, especially for systems at a greater distance from Earth. AI will also be essential to quickly deriving actionable insights from the vast amount of data that will be gathered by space-based surveillance and monitoring systems.